New York City’s Baruch College is one of CUNY’s shining beacons of higher education. Respected, affordable and a provider of a great education, Baruch College serves undergraduate students as well as graduate students at their Zicklin School of Business, Weissman School of Arsts and Sciences and School of Public Affairs. As excited and proud as one can be upon both acceptance and graduation from Baruch, an arrest on campus or even off campus can have grave consequences. Even without an arrest or an allegation of criminal wrongdoing, CUNY’s strict sexual misconduct, non-discrimination and Title IX policies are not to be trifled with because doing so can land you in a disciplinary hearing. Should you improperly handle an arrest, Desk Appearance Ticket or investigation for on campus harassment or sexual misconduct, your mistake can not only result in a criminal record and jail where applicable, you are leaving yourself exposed to suspension or expulsion. Don’t compound your mistake by not seeking an experienced and knowledgeable attorney or lawyer to guide you as best he or she can.
Crimes and Arrests on CampusAs a preliminary matter, criminal or non-criminal conduct that can be the basis of an arrest, Title IX investigation, disciplinary hearing, suspension or expulsion need not occur physically on campus. For example, you could be accused of harassing a student on campus through email, snapping a picture of an unsuspecting student off campus, but sharing it on social media, using a credit card of a fellow student, or damaging property. The bottom line is that there are countless crimes from Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and Criminal Mischief to Assault and Rape that occur both on college campus and off. While smoking marijuana, selling molly, or underage drinking may not seem like a big deal, you could not be more wrong. Not only is it quite serious, other than selling small amounts of marijuana, these activities are felonious.
Depending on the nature of the criminal allegation, the New York City Police Department and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office can, and will, prosecute you to the full extent of the law. Even if your conduct does not constitute a felony, know that a misdemeanor will never be expunged from your record. A conviction for any of these criminal offenses will be your very own Scarlet Letter. Add a suspension or expulsion hearing to the mix and you have a recipe for a disastrous future if not managed correctly.
Crimes need not be committed for Baruch or any CUNY college or university to commence an investigation into sexual violence, sexual harassment and gender based harassment. There need only be a complaint that can set the process into motion. What are your rights? Is there due process? Will there be a hearing and who are the “judges”? Can you have a parent present or will your attorney or lawyer represent you at the hearing? Simply, is a hearing mandatory? There countless questions without easy answers, but the last thing you should do is proceed alone only to regret what you believed to be a mere misunderstanding that mushroomed into your suspension or expulsion.
Protect yourself from the humiliation of an arrest or suspension hearing. Don’t think merely because you are not accused of criminal conduct, the consequences are not grave. Whether you are a national of the United States or a foreign student studying on an F1 visa, a misdemeanor, felony or sexual misconduct related suspension can upend all that you have worked at and more.
Contact Saland Law and let our criminal lawyers and former Manhattan prosecutors utilize their knowledge, experience and advocacy to carry you through the school hearing process or criminal investigation.
Call our New York criminal defense attorneys at (212) 312-7129 or contact us online today.